Former D.C. school chief approved to head Newark school system

Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerGov. Corzine listens to Cliff Janey speak after it was announced he is Newark's next superintendent at Central High School in Newark on June 10, 2008.

Former Washington D.C. school chief Clifford Janey was approved this afternoon by the New Jersey state Board of Education to become Newark's next school superintendent.

Janey will succeed Marion Bolden as leader of the state's largest district with 70-plus schools, 41,000 students, and a nearly $1 billion budget.

"I was anxious to get the process moving because the appointment isn't official until the state board votes," she said. "Marion Bolden is leaving in a few weeks and we wanted to have him here as soon as possible. A week may not seem long but it is in school time."

Of the seven board members present for the vote, only one, Kathleen Deitz, voted against approving Janey. Her issue wasn't Janey's qualifications, but the fact the state hasn't finished negotiating his contract, Davy said. Once the document is completed, the board will have an opportunity to review it, she added.

Janey was among the three finalists for the job and was the favorite choice of the Newark Public Schools Advisory Board and a search committee appointed by Gov. Jon Corzine. After a battery of interviews and a thorough background check Corzine selected him for the post.

The other finalists were Donald Evans, the superintendent in Providence R.I. and Ross Danis, a former Morris County educator who is a program director for the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Reviews of Janey's tenure in D.C. are mixed, but he has been credited with making key improvements that led to gains on national tests which assess student academic achievement.

Yesterday, Janey got lost on his way to Central High School, where Corzine introduced him as his choice to head Newark schools.